ShowTime. Outspoken.
The television world is a very heterogeneous world. There are programs
horrible, bad, banal, absurd, disgusting.
But then there are also many wonderful programs, original, ingenious, surprising, eye-catching.
And it is true that there are channels that are in the trash their strong point, it is equally true that there are entire channels whose programming is almost worthy of note.
ShowTime is one of these channels.
The pivot around which the success of ShowTime, if indeed there is one main, is the strength of his shows.
In particular, spoke of his television series. Telefilm
as "Dexter," "Californication," "Weeds," "United States of Tara", "Nurse Jackie," "The Tudors" and in the past: "Dead Like Me," "The L Word," to among others, are proof that not only ShowTime is a channel out of the schemes, which decides whether to broadcast a medical-drama is not just another cloning of "Grey's Anatomy," but it's a channel that does not impact you in many scruples contravene established custom, but rather look for something new and working.
Consider some of these shows.
"Dexter," based on the first of a series of books by Jeff Lindsay, follows the story of Dexter Morgan, a hematologist day for the Miami police and serial killer by night.
Dexter (played outstandingly by Michael C. Hall) is not the usual villain who works in the world of good to be above suspicion, but a controversial character who kills for an impulse and redirects that, not without difficulty, this urge to murder those who deserve to die (or at least that they deserve it more than others).
The panorama of characters that circulates around the figure of the protagonist is also interesting as well, his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), foul-mouthed, sassy and ambitious, up to his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz), a divorcee with two children whose own Dexter, the serial killer, he finds himself tied up.
The direction is very accurate. The hot and muggy Miami, with its cultural diversity and the sharp social divide, it is a view which does not remain in the background but that is felt in the events, images, music and people.
Every season is closed in itself, that follows a plot that has a beginning and a resolution to the same internal cycle episodes.
The series adopts the point of view of the protagonist, overhears his thoughts and meditate with him on the moral dilemmas that arise when you kill, the complications that it entails and the inevitability of the Act as it emerges in the book is a Need with the "B", which you can not control, perpetually dissatisfied.
The first season of the series is nothing short of extraordinary: a beacon in the darkness. The following seasons are a bit 'lost verve, but do not be boring or taken for granted.
"Californication."
David Duchovny (known to most as Fox Mulder X-Files) plays one of the most significant impacts of television today.
Hank Moody (whose last name literally means "fickle mood" and is not chosen at random) is a writer came to success, in a somewhat 'random, using a novel called "God Hates Us All" (God hates us all), transformed by the major Hollywood film in a romantic movie called "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (That little thing called love) starring Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
Hank, who moved to Los Angeles (panorama of the series and the second main character) at the film of his book, is now stalled, struggling in an attempt to create something new, but losing in love affairs that lead to wild orgies (which punched in the face during sex, which become the central theme of the first season), smoking cigarettes that evolve in developed joints, drinking beer and spirits and fuckin 'around the city with his best friend and comrade Charlie Runkle (Evan Handler), which is also his manager, who has a wife with a drug problem (and foul tempered but beautiful), who has trouble lasting during sex, which you saw the place Working in a perverse manner, and is attracted by the female gender
If this were not enough, in addition to the masterful acting of all actors (and I mean everyone really), the corollary of interpretation is enhanced further counting Karen (Natascha McElhone), Hank's ex-wife, which is madly in love with but who is unable to have a steady relationship, as if the immense desire to indulge in an exclusive way to this woman is doomed to failure because Polygamy is a character too reckless (in fact the first season begins and ends with "You Can not Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones).
And then Becca (Madeleine Martin), the daughter of Karen and Hank, dark and daring soul, wise and rebellious at the same time, which looks a little like 'a small and Winona Ryder is the perfect offspring of tormented genius Hank.
One could go on and on, with epic characters who for one reason or another disappear from the series, as in real life. Why
despite the absurdity of some stories that tell a life of extremes, the series is very realistic and believable, animated by a spirit of unbridled rock that even those who lead a healthy lifestyle and regular elsewhere have always imagined, in a away from home but not too far away from desire.
The series is now in its third season. Some dynamics have changed, others continue to recur with unnerving (but adequate) constant. Hank continues to be the dissolute as ever, addicted to alcohol and sex more than capable of seducing anyone just lowering his sunglasses on his nose.
"Californication" is a show that is, in many respects, ahead of the others. Consistent with himself, but not equal to anyone. No qualms of showing nudity and sex to speak in clear of drugs, orgasms, open relationships, porn, masturbation, and so on, in dialogues that are deliberately pushed and looking through a strong impact, a reflected in public.
The show is recommended for all lovers of rock, for sure, those who love good scripts and the things said in a clear and round. Not recommended for those who are shocked to programs that deal with these issues without censorship and those who can not tolerate to see things on TV that theoretically belong to the private sphere, and sometimes illegal, the existence of every individual.
Last but not least, we decided to conclude with "Weeds."
Three sets should be enough to validate the thesis that ShowTime is a channel reckless, revolutionary and totally insane.
So after a serial killer and a writer unleashed, there is the sublime mistress of marijuana.
specify that when the set is a bright glow of wonder, then it is difficult to see in between the particles that glow less.
Then why, again I have to say that in "Weeds," as in the previous series, each contributing at its best, and the absence of any characters would be a terrible failure for the whole program.
But in particular stands out Mary-Louise Parker, an unstoppable forty-five of South Carolina who plays Nancy Botwin, a woman of Agrestic, a suburb of town of images, which carry on after the death of her husband Judah began to sell marijuana to the wealthy and right-thinking people of Agrestic. The business is well and Nancy, in one way or the other pulls ahead, but as any transaction that takes place in the shadow of illegality Nancy is forced to face different obstacles and complicated situations.
Over time (the series is now in its fifth season), Nancy realizes that despite the difficulties he is very talented by pusher (in English drug-dealer) and will accept the idea that this is precisely the job that want to play.
Again, every season is actually in itself, because although some are repeated at the top end of next season, they mark a turning point in the life of Nancy.
The events in which it is involved are so many that it is impossible to summarize. The partner / boss with whom pretends change with regularity, as Nancy is forced to change to continue his work and not end up in cages.
Noteworthy are also the two sons, Shane (Alexander Gould) and Silas (Hunter Parrish), along with Justin Kirk, who plays the lazy uncle Andy, apparently devoid of any capacity, habitual marijuana smoker, but actually one of the most active of the series. Memorable
two scenes in particular:
1) The scene where Andy explains to Shane, now a teenager, the most advanced techniques of masturbation for pleasure maximized and no residue.
2) The final scene of the second episode of season three.
As I mentioned, the first episodes of a season is often linked to the previous one, thus resuming tensions from different episodes and being several times having to dispose of all at once. Nancy, on this occasion, he returned home after a few disastrous days, bankruptcy and constant danger that if you do not have the scope to death, they still forced into a seemingly hopeless situation. Back home, the family raccapigliata that had spread between the prison and the street with noses that bleed and driving experience childhood walks through the door, goes to the fridge and ignoring questions of the children who seek a word of comfort, tears the dress off, remaining thus in linen, and with a crescendo of rock music (The Thermals, "Here's Your Future") is directed at a rapid pace towards the pool (green on the grounds that it would be cruel to reveal), there are disposable and now underwater hunting a cry of relief to empty the lungs. Once emerged, a wonderful Mary-Louise Parker to the soup marrow looks straight into the camera at the water and begins to sob of breath while the credits are substituted for the images.
If this is not enough to make you yearn for "Weeds" more than ever, you can still add that the show has a liveliness and insight unavailable elsewhere.
Jenji Kohan, creator and writer of the series, creates a really elegant and yet very imperfect.
The dialogues are great, witty, quick and natural.
The show is a comedy-drama which, although dramatic results in tone and content, it ends up being extremely funny because of the attitudes that the characters, tough as ever, taking in the face of adversity their extravagant lives.
the fifth season, maybe a little 'soft in some parts of the third season onwards, the series still going strong.
Nominated several times for a Golden Globe, won once by Mary-Louise Parker, the series is the original code (which in the first three seasons leverages multiple cover of the song "Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds) until the last scene before the titles tail.
Needless to say, not everyone is treated in a manner so open, raw, yet so light a subject like drugs.
Jenji Kohan does the wonder and ShowTime wisely encourages.
So we end as we began: The world of television
is a very heterogeneous world. There are programs
horrible, bad, banal, absurd, disgusting.
But then there are also many wonderful programs, original, ingenious, surprising, eye-catching.
Yes, because there are also programs ShowTime.
Link:
ShowTime Wikipedia Wikipedia Dexter Californication Weeds Wikipedia